Rethink LAPD’s Substations

Among the most visible and popular elements of the Los Angeles Police Department’s community-based policing program are the small satellite offices nestled in shopping malls and on busy streets. The 125 substations provide a welcome alternative to the department’s aging and overcrowded major stations, a friendly place to fill out a theft report or get information on Neighborhood Watch. They also give officers on the beat a better chance to get to know the neighborhoods they patrol.

Despite their popularity, however, city and police officials rightly fear that the Community OutReach Centers have expanded too fast and that the program lacks proper supervision. No one knows how much it costs to run the stations each year. Last year, Chief Willie L. Williams imposed a moratorium on the opening of new substations until their operations could be studied. The City Council’s Public Safety Committee has now asked the LAPD for a detailed accounting of the stations and their costs.

That’s wise--and long overdue. Remarkably, no formal criteria exist for establishing community stations. Often, the decision was left up to division commanders, who were offered free space by merchants or community groups eager to have a cop in their mall or neighborhood. Even though the stations are often staffed by citizen volunteers, the program is far from free. Most building improvements such as carpeting or paint were paid for by the city, which also pays the phone and utility bills--money that might be put to better use in a department so strapped for cash that some officers must buy their own flashlight batteries.

When and where to open community stations are deployment decisions, just like where to assign detectives and patrol cars. Substations not being used productively should be shut down and the establishment of new ones should be subject to intensive review. Yes, the LAPD needs positive public relations and the community stations can provide that, and more. But the program should not distract the police from primary responsibilities.